Half a dozen years ago, we had visited Punjabi by Nature in Koramangala and really liked it. When we moved to Whitefield, we were happy to find one here as well, but that was such a bad experience that I don’t think I even wrote about it. That was why a visit to the new outlet named Punjabi By Nature 2.0 was warranted. This is on the 4th floor of the Park Square Mall, next to the food court. The decor elements are definitely of a different style from the original – more modern, vibrant and colourful. But the terrace section was what we loved the most, especially the bar stool seating along the edges that offered us a fantastic view! One of the factors that guarantees a repeat visit from us.
We decided to try the Hefeweizen and the Blonde Ale. The first was the standard german wheat and fairly decent, though it didn’t really have the banana and clove flavour it promised. I really liked the Blonde Ale – balanced the malt very well and went down smoothly. We wanted to try the Marzen too but that wasn’t available. Only 3 out of the 5 craft beers were.
A good time to point out that getting someone to have an order placed is a bit of a task especially where we were seated. So Mohammed just went to the mountain most of the time. The Mutton Rogan Josh Samosa was served with what would have been the gravy in the curry, but it worked better with the mint chutney. The Chicken Kulcha trio was next, and we quite liked the texture and mild flavours. In both cases, we felt that the dishes had been reheated, judging by the temperature and the freshness.
We weren’t sure about our hunger levels so we decided to go with a Naanza – naan base instead of a standard pizza base. Cheese in abundance – mozzarella, cheddar and ricotta- and chicken tikka ensured that we were happy with the taste. In a battle between mains or starter vs dessert, the latter easily won. The Baked Rasgulla Cheesecake sounded interesting, especially since it had mascarpone cheese. It didn’t disappoint, though the sauce could have been avoided, and I couldn’t figure out what the flora was doing in it.
The bill came to a little over Rs.1800. The music was a bit loud and the service, like I mentioned, marches to its own beat.Our next visit is going to be for testing out the cocktails – lots of interesting whiskey based ones. That terrace seating means that the place will most likely get more chances, even if largely undeserved!
Punjabi by Nature 2.0, 4th Floor, Ascendas Park Square Mall, ITPL, Whitefield Main Road Ph: 61224788 (map)